Blog

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.We’re Caitlin and Manda, co-creators of the lifestyle blog, The Merrythought. Our blog is devoted to simple living and we share DIY projects, recipes, home décor, fashion, travels, parties, and bits of our daily lives.

What are your passions? What makes you tick?In the fast-paced world we live in, we think it’s incredibly important to take the time to create whether through reimagining and redesigning an entire room, creating a solution to your most recent storage problem, or just trying out a new recipe.

How did you get started? What were some of the difficulties you faced in starting?We both had separate personal blogs and were struggling to find the right space to share some of the projects and recipes that we were creating. We had come to a spot where we were being very intentional about the process and photography behind each project and needed to find a platform that would showcase these in a way that would encourage others to try them out as well.

What is your biggest regret?Not knowing our worth earlier on in the game. We sold ourselves short frequently in the first few years and have realized just how exhausting and discouraging it can be. We now are much more confident in our worth and it makes a world of difference!

What is your best advice to someone just starting out? What advice do you wish someone had said to you?Come up with goals and create a schedule - you will need to really be willing to commit everything and go for it. Yes, it will be exhausting but we promise it’s worth it! Don’t expect immediate growth overnight and make sure you’re doing something that you love, so during the slow times, you’re still having fun.

What is your favorite part of what you do?This job basically incorporates everything we love - crafting, photography, styling, baking… and eating. ;) There is a lot of behind the scenes business side of stuff that we dread but when it comes down to it, we’re finally making the projects that we dream up into a reality. It’s incredibly rewarding to see your ideas turn into something tangible that you can share with others.

Who is your favorite local creative/small business owner that you really admire?Since I met Cara from Chickpea Magazine a few months ago, I have been slightly obsessed. I completely understand the work that goes into recipe development and styling which makes me even more in awe of the amount of work she gets done for the magazine each quarter. Not to mention her incredible lettering skills!